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My encounters: Group Works #1

We are lying on the floor with our eyes closed at Forsøgsstationen in Copenhagen. A small group of people who are all interested in the work of the Swedish choreographic project “Samlingen”. I think the light is turned off because I think I heard footsteps and the characteristic sound of the light switch being pressed up. Or down. “Dance seems very wide like this” a female voice behind me says. I get a bit uncomfortable. She seems very close, but our bodies don’t touch. “Is there anything that is very present in the Copenhagen Dance Scene right now?” Somebody asks. I guess it’s a member from “Samlingen” since they are not from here. “Nakedness” a voice answers, and another voice adds “Skin”. The conversation continues, but I drift off thinking about whether the setup of our verbal exchange allows other voices to be heard. If darkness somehow creates a freedom from the hierarchies in the room, a terminologi “Samlingen” used earlier in their talk, or just hides them. “How often do you have morning training?”. The question reaches my ears, and so does the answer to it “Every morning”. We are now talking about Danseatelieret – a Copenhagen based collective founded by graduate students from the dance education at the Danish National School of Performing Arts. “Wow! Every morning! From when to when?” “10-12” “How many are you?”. It suddenly strikes me that the conversation feels more like an interview with “Samlingen” as the rapporter and some of us as the informants, but I cannot see if it’s true what I’m feeling, and then I have to leave. On my way to my next appointment I keep thinking that I should have asked “Samlingen” about something. That it was my responsibility to challenge or break the hierarchy if there was any to be found. Maybe I could have asked them about the choice of using non factual truths/fiction when making the timeline in their project at “Stadsteatern” in Stockholm a year ago. What was the fictional facts they made up? How did they incorporate them? And why? In these Trump-atized times I think it could be interesting to talk about.

The conversation cited might have been different in reality or in other people’s mind.